The Stitch
by sTk
Summary: Matt treats Mello's scar, at home.


"Look Mel, trust me man. I can do this."

"You've stitched up a few cuts noth-"

"I've played Trauma Centre, remember?"

Sure. He had played Trauma Centre with a great score on the hardest setting but:

This was my _face_! Not some…some…useless crap video game! _Fuck!_

"Would you watch it? It already fucking hurts and you're just fucking making it hurt fucking more!"

Matt had decided to press down on _that _portion of my face with his gloved finger. Suffice to say, it burned in a squishy feeling that would have made a tougher man throw up.  
Hell, even L would have thrown up.

"Don't be a baby, Mel. It's just another little prick at the bottom"

The word prick caught my attention, he was too intent on analyzing the burn to notice.

"Sure is!"

And a swift kick to the groin made him notice. Yes, it was just a little prick at the bottom.  
And no, I'm not talking about anaesthetic.

Matt responded with a straight face compared to a usual grin.

"Mello"

_Bastard_. I was anything but Mello. Especially right now.  
Thanks Roger.

"I thought I told you…" What was that? "Not to call me that, ever." Lightheaded?

"All done!" he said it with a smile. A fucking _smile!_  
Sadist.

"You really should get to a doctor though Mel, I can hardly perform a full skin graft here"

It was out of the question. Besides.  
A trip their would only mean one thing.  
Momentarily defeat to Near.  
Or rather, Near knowing about a momentarily defeat on my part.  
And that I just couldn't handle. Ever. So my response was obvious, it should even have been obvious to him.

"No." Sharp. Simple. To the point. Anything but _Mello._

"I don't know why I bother sometimes Mel. I can fake an I.D."  
There he was. Smug. Again.  
Whatever he gave me was really bumping up my aggression as a side effect.  
I never usually wanted to hurt him, without real reason, but this was different.  
But it was also making it something clearer.  
I touched the burn to feel only a small amount of pain. But it was pain. A reminder.  
A reminder of defeat.  
A reminder of…  
Kira.

"You were lucky though Mel. I mean lucky you didn't get infected by anything. Lucky it was only one piece of glass I had to remove, easily."

Glass?

"I'll have to stitch it though. Soon. You should probably rest first, I've got plenty of different meds for when you wake up."

Hah. That was right. He could have been a dealer with what he had, even some things I'd never heard of.  
"Junkie," I whispered with a laugh.  
He took it with a smile himself as I drifted off to what I always hated. Sleeping.  
I'll sleep when I'm dead, thank you.  
If only it could be true.

______________________

Fuzzy.  
It was exactly how I felt. Groggy, dazed, slightly confused.  
My eyes drifted to my arms. Bare arms. I was sure I was wearing clothes before?  
I seen the marks. Damn you Matt. You could have done it when I was awake or told me about it!  
To make matters worse my nose was running.  
It was wet.  
It was red.

Blood. There's blood on my nose.  
My face is literally _peeling _and I'm worried about the damn blood.  
My face?  
I tried to feel it probably too quickly, as I felt a twinge, but it felt different.  
He wrapped it up. Bandaged it.  
Faith abandons me and Matt doesn't.  
Should really have been the other way around. I should have lost his friendship by now.  
It was something I didn't deserve.  
Only one thing I could do.

"Matt," I said, sitting up, breaking through the pain. I yelled again and again until he finally answered with his usual "WHATTHEFUCKISIT?"

He was a mess. He wasn't wearing goggles so I could see his eyes. He'd won a fight with the sandman. That was his reward.

He cared too much.

"Matt?" I said, more softly than I was used to saying. It frightened me, momentarily.

"Yeah, Mel?" he slurred, looking up from his battered DS.

"Thanks Matt."

And what was the reply to my momentarily lapse of affection?

"Whatever"

It brought a well needed smile. Everything was as it should be. I didn't have to check it in a mirror. I trusted him. With my life. Everything would be fine.  
Or it was going to be, soon enough. After a score was settled.  
An eye for an eye Kira. A scar for your own personal heart attack.  
I hope "God" is watching over you.﻿


End file.
